There are two known ways of getting into this altered state, which some describe as the "Zone".1) self-hypnosis - affecting the subconscious2) Alpha state (where alpha brainwaves are dominant), it is called crystal countdown (from Laurie Cabot's book) in which you meditate to get into the "alpha state".I do not think these two a mutually exclusive, but many people swear by number 2. What do you use? What is your preference?

There is a way I get into my alpha state (I am still working on theta...)The Alpha CountdownClose your eyes and clear your mental screen. Then create the following numbers one by one in its respective color on your screen (mind's eye).7 - red6 - orange5 - yellow4 - green3 - blue2 - indigo1 - purple/orchid. Keep the numbers on the screen for as long as you like, but keep focused on the number and how you sink deeper and deeper for every step/number. Once you have reached alpha, I suggest you do some kind of cleansing before you continue your meditation, such as saying "I am now in alpha and I am giving myself a complete cleansing", or washing yourself with white light, or pulling all negativity out of your body and throwing it into a well/toilet/river beneath a bridge. If you want to put a more advanced touch to this, you can make these numbers appear on the steps of a spiral staircase going down. Then each step will really take you deeper down into alpha! When I do this, for every step I take on my murky stone staricase I say "deepest psychic and creative level". When you get to the bottom you reach your meditational kingdom and only you can tell what you'll find there...

After many weeks of practice you can build a mental trigger like crossing your fingers, while deep in the Alpha state and equate that action to instant Alpha. After that you can get into Alpha very fast. It is a mater of practice and acquired belief. If you do not believe in this it won't work for you no matter how many proofs and tests one would present to you.

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"When you have reached a point at which you cannot see more, You must remember that there may be a point beyond this at which you can see everything." -Mehmet Karagoz

So when someone just comes into the zone of and by themselves which technique did they use? 1 or 2?

Both ways are fine, but I find them to be much too general to really help when it comes to ascending into an altered state.

Yes, it is quite limiting to say that only these two ways are known. Drumming, for instance, can lead to these states as well. Basically any rhythmic activity will do this.

There are also other forms of meditation which are not self-hypnosis according to the definition thereof.

There are more mechanical methods such as sleep cycle interruption, setting a timer to go off every 20 minutes or so will often cause a waking dream state measured to theta and delta over the course of a few days. It's not healthy though.

There are certainly more than 2 known ways, however. It is a fascinating subject, I certainly reccomend pursuing a wider education on the subject.

Peace

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The world is complicated - that which makes it up is elegantly simplistic, but infinitely versatile.

I agree there are a number of methods of getting into an altered state of consciousness, the zone, as you call it. Besides meditation--which is a bit different than self hypnosis IMHO-- we sometimes use dance or rhythmic movements (think the whirling dervishes), blood control through the use of cords binding the body. Some people use pain. They find that being whipped or spanked can put people into another state of consciousness. There are probably a lot more methods, but these come to mind. I do know that with practice it becomes easier to go into a particular state of consciousness. Also like a lot of activities, there is a warm-up stage. Most of us take a few minutes to get our mental muscles warmed up so that we can move into the desired mental state.

Ive noticed playing certain keys on an instrument and then ascending or descending VERY slowly will both put you into an altered state and cleanse and area at the same time. Its a good way to relax as well. I usually use guitar because piano sounds too jarring.

Great responses. It is clear that we must each find a method that suits us, some people have difficulty visualizing but very sensitive to music or auditory vibrations some people can just meditate and pay attention to their physical extremities and Breathe rhythmically. As a neophyte one must experiment with all these techniques and see what fits. Finally, some people smoke pot or experiment with other hallucinogens, such as peyote etc. It is dangerous (especially peyote, LSD and hard drugs). Some people can handle it, some cannot. It usually depends on your spiritual state and make-up. If you are naturally advanced spirituality you will be OK, if not, you will suffer the consequences with addiction and damaged psyche/brain.

This post has been edited by Hermes56: Aug 9 2012, 08:47 AM

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"When you have reached a point at which you cannot see more, You must remember that there may be a point beyond this at which you can see everything." -Mehmet Karagoz

I find that the self hypnosis technique referred to as the NAP ritual to point A in the book New Avatar Power by Geoff Gray Cobb works best for me. There are also magical passes to move the assemblage point shamanically. This, too, will cause altered states.